A Carriage Drawn by Six
by Hinterland Seer
Summary: After meeting with seemingly their dream guys all at once, the Mane 6 soon find themselves progressing their relationships at an alarming rate. Well. . . alarming to Spike. The young dragon takes it upon himself to prove that his worries are justified, and to find out just what is wrong with theses six guys who popped into the girls' lives.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Are you almost done in there darling?" Rarity asked as she trotted over to the changing room door.

"Almost." A voice called out from within, followed by a loud thumping noise as if a pony had fallen over. Before the fashionista unicorn could offer to help her friend, the door was enveloped in a purple aura and a slightly flustered purple Alicorn stepped out.

Twilight chuckled as she fidgeted with her dress, pawing at the ground lightly as she chuckled to her friend. "I guess I'm still a little clumsy sometimes. But I do love what you've done with the dress, Rarity."

"But of course, Twilight: I can't have any of my friends not looking her very best on such a special occasion." Rarity waved her over, inspecting how the adjustments to the dress had gone. "I must admit that I thought it was such a lovely idea for us to where our original dresses to this year's Gala: and with some minor modifications and repairs they turned out even better than before! You always did have great ideas, Twilight."

"Oh, thanks." Twilight responded, blushing at the compliment thrown her way. Internally, she was extremely grateful that Rarity had gone with the idea so readily: the fashion-oriented mare could have easily argued for them to bring something knew to the table for this Gala. Though there were some compromises to be made that she was hesitant about at first, but Rarity had a way with words, and when she saw what the fashionista had in mind for her new dress: she fell in love.

Rarity had taken to the nostalgic dress idea surprisingly well, but her creative mind had taken over, shutting her away from her friends for three whole days as she poured over her designs for the improvements. Nopony was even a little disappointed when she offered up her drawings for critique: as they were just as fresh and grand as they were similar to the originals.

Twilight particularly liked how Rarity had made some room for her wings, even offering to replace the original high collar with a silver mantle that befitted a Princess much more, along with a set of shiny silver slippers that would sparkle radiantly in the moonlight. But by far her favorite piece of the new attire was the silver and amethyst tiara that Rarity had ordered, which felt like a priceless gift. Needless to say, she was feeling absolutely stunning, and Rarity's appreciative gaze only served to boost her confidence.

Tonight would be amazing, she was sure of it.

Rarity herself had gone with a light gray outfit trimmed with gold accents and a sapphire-studded cloak. Her signature scarf had been slimmed down a bit due to her unfortunate memories with Prince Blueblood, though she did emphasize the flare she had held by imbuing the fabric with a cool glow, which she hoped would highlight her subtle makeup.

The two left the boutique, being met outside by a large waiting coach, being pulled by two royal Canterlot guards. Already sitting inside were the remainder of their friends, who each poked their heads out to admire and compliment their dresses.

"Come on! Let's get this show on the road before it gets too late!" Rainbow Dash said in a hurried voice, earning a exasperated groan from Applejack and a happy eye roll from Spike.

"What? Spitfire may have given me the night off, but she said that I would still have to represent the Wonderbolts!"

"Well, then they will see that at least one member of your group has the magnificence and elegance to arrive fashionably late." Rarity scoffed playfully, leading Twilight into the carriage so that they could make their way to the Gala before fashionably late became untimely. "Everypony knows that the Wonderbolts could use some more elegance in their routine. . . no offense, Rainbow."

The teasing over with, the girls let Spike know that they were ready to be on their way, and so the young dragon got the carriage moving along the lengthy trip to Canterlot.

* * *

'So far: so good.' Twilight thought to herself, standing next to Princess Celestia, as per her usual whenever she went to these events. At least now that she was a somewhat famous

Princess, it wasn't as easy for everypony to interrupt her time talking with her favorite mentor in all of Equestria. Hay, even Discord had settled to being friendly with some of the other ponies in attendance; which did have her a little on edge, given his track history.

She smiled as Princess Celestia went about explaining something to one of the guards standing at the top of the stairs: seeing her ex-mentor interacting with her guards had always been fun to watch.

"Uh. . . excuse me, Princess Twilight Sparkle?" A voice caught her attention, and she slowly turned to see a stallion standing behind her, smiling nervously. He was a violet unicorn, reminding her very much of what she used to look like, only his mane had a green stripe running through the center instead of her pink one.

"Oh, hi!" She offered her own smile, extending a hoof to shake. "Is there something that I can help with?"

He shook it, calming down considerably and his smile becoming much more comfortable as he nodded. "There was something that I was hoping to have your assistance with, though it's not a problem in the traditional sense. My name is Gleaming Star, and I've been waiting for the chance to be able to talk with you for a while now. . ."

He glanced at the ground for a second before returning his gaze to hers, his magenta eyes shining with what she thought to be a curious spark of excitement. "You see, I was hoping to be able to get to know you, perhaps we could talk about the constellations, or maybe you could help me about my theory on time distorting through massive bodies in space? I happen to have studied a fair bit in Manehattan about the night sky, and it would be such an honor to learn from a pony as great as yourself."

Twilight paused for a moment, taken by surprise at first by his boldness, but then her curiosity overcame her hesitation, and she offered a heartfelt smile. Celestia would understand. "That sounds like it would be fun, and I am most curious about this theory of yours."

"Great!" He cheered, stepping to the side and offering her his forehoof, which she took with a blush, and began to lead her down to the refreshments stand so that they could wet their tongues over conversation. "Well, I suppose it would be good to start with this being just a simple theory, as I must admit my education regarding the complex physics equations are not up to par. Anyways, I theorized that because massive bodies tended to act as gravity wells for everything around them. . ."

* * *

"Ah can't believe Rarity actually convinced me ta give this dress a chance." Applejack grumbled as she sat in a corner, doing her best to avoid the curious glances many of the ponies might have given her. Somehow, Rarity had managed to put her in that fancy gown from her first ever Gala, and worse yet, she was starting to get afraid that ponies around here might realize how much she enjoyed it.

"Donning this thing at home was fine, but this?" She shook her head, frowning at her own reckless behavior: she had to uphold the family strength, which had a strict lack of frilly dresses in it. Farmers weren't supposed ta wear 'em, though she feared she might have to concede that this was a special occasion.

"Pardon my saying so, but Ah happen ta think yer lookin' mighty fine in that there dress." She jumped at the intruding voice, whipping her head around to see a bright red stallion dressed in. . . rancher clothes? His bright green eyes reminded her of the glistening green apples from Sweet Apple Acres, while his short golden blonde mane was shouting at her for its practical shortness. This here was a stallion that most definitely did not belong in Canterlot, and looked like he would fit right in at home.

"Well. . . uh. . . thank you." She responded with a light chuckle, feeling her face flare up with heat from the compliment. She gave herself a second to compose herself before she did something stupid, then offered the most genuine smile she had worn all night. "If ya don't mind mah own question: what's a hard-workin' farm pony like yerself doin' out here in this frilly kind o' party?"

"Just admiring the ponies with a respectable work-ethic." He shrugged and tipped his hat to her. "An' it seems like Ah found the most respectable mare this side of Dodge Junction right here in front of me. Ya are, in fact, _the_ Miss Applejack, are ya not?"

"Ah am." She felt her cheeks burning, and she knew that if this flattery kept on goin' she was in for a mighty embarrassin' time. She grabbed her own hat and started fanning herself off, hoping to play it cool; she hadn't felt this flustered around a stallion in quite a few years. . .

"That there is excellent news: mah name is Crimson Orchard, and it seems only proper for a hard-workin' mare such as yerself to be fitted with quality company on such a fine night." He grinned at her and offered his foreleg for her to grab, which she glanced at hesitantly. "Ah think this here is an opportunity for the two of us to discuss more. . . important matters."

"Oh? And just what matters do ya have in mind?" She asked after a second, deciding that this was probably one of her few chances to relax: everypony else would understand.

"Well, ya see; Ah've been lookin' into investin' with yer cousin down in Apple Loosa, Breaburn was it? An' Ah was hopin' ta get yer advice on the matter." He answered, pulling her along to a more quiet place to discuss the cousin's family farm.

* * *

Fluttershy was glad to be out of that large, loud room. The ponies in there really didn't seem too invested in having civilized tones, and her sensitive ears were only another reason to hasten her retreat to the peaceful, absolutely amazing gardens, where the midnight flowers were in full bloom, and the critters were all chattering peacefully.

It was a shame Discord had fallen ill with some crazy sickness that left him bedridden, but she came along at the urging of her friends and his own wish for her to have a good time. So she found herself anxious to attempt to visit the animals this time around, and she was better prepared for their hesitations. She was going to make sure that she didn't cause a total mess this time around. Yeah, that sounded like a great idea.

She trotted around the dimly lit garden path, smiling to herself as she remembered that awful trip through here all those years ago, and the trouble she had caused: it all just sounded so unlike her to do something that wild.

As she turned the corner around a tree, she crossed paths with the first of many critters she was hoping to see tonight; this one being the bright orange phoenix, Philomena. "Oh, hello there. I didn't see you fly by there."

Philomena slowed herself until she came to a stop, hovering in place while she turned to face the buttery pegasus. Giving a happy chirp upon realizing who was talking to her, the phoenix dropped low, landing softly on the waiting hoof of Fluttershy, releasing an almost purr-like chirping as she was petted.

Fluttershy chuckled lightly at the phoenix's actions, feeling herself relax even further as she sank into her comfort zone. Being here in this lovely garden, surrounded by such amazing critters: this was paradise, even if Discord couldn't be here for her.

Her comfort was broken by Philomena's sudden alarmed squeak and jump into the air, and her confusion morphed into alarm as a weight pressed into her entire side, threatening to knock her over. Before the weight became to much, a gasp came from her side and then it was gone, and a pony was already sputtering out an apology even as she tried to get her heart back under control.

She turned to see a bright yellow stallion, with a pair of pegasus wings strained in obvious embarrassment, doing his best to form a coherent statement. "OH! Miss. . . I'm-I'm so so sorry about that! I didn't see you there and I was just admiring the gardens and I'm so sorry miss! Are you okay?"

She smiled awkwardly but accepted his extended hoof to get to her hooves, brushing herself off even though she thought she wasn't all that dirty. At least Rarity wouldn't freak if she saw what she had done to her dress. "Oh, I'm quite alright, thank you. It really isn't that big of a deal, you just startled me. Besides, it's probably my fault: I should have been more careful about not standing in somepony's way."

"Don't be so hard on yourself." The guy replied, flashing a nervous smile as he parted his black and pink striped mane. "It really was my fault: I should have been more careful about where I was walking, and I really need to stop being such a klutz."

"I don't think you're a klutz, mister: and I can't just have you going about blaming yourself for my mistake." She returned the nervous smile, pawing a hoof at the ground as she tried to force down the anxiety building in her stomach. There was something about this stallion that was just. . . different. She remembered reading in a book about these kinds of things, and she recognized the feeling she was looking for: these butterflies in her stomach. That was what was different about him. "My name is. . . uh, Fluttershy."

Her smile grew more confident as she was overwhelmed with the courage she was about to muster now, and the joy she was feeling became evident in her expression. The guy seemed to relax a bit, too, and his stance softened as he took a seat. "I'm Butterscotch, though my friends all just call me 'Butters.'"

"It's nice to meet you, Butters." She extended her hoof, before her nature took over and she ducked behind her mane, as she realized her mistake. "That is, if you're okay with me calling you that."

"Of course you can, Miss Fluttershy." Butters replied, his own stance seeming to become even more relaxed as he motioned for her to do so as well. "I noticed that you were handling that phoenix over there, which I have to commend you on, as I don't think I've ever met another pony that knows how to even approach one. Perhaps, if you were okay with it, we could have a talk about some of the fascinating animals around here?"

Fluttershy perked up at the mention of animal care-taking, and seemed to feel her unusual courage flourishing again. This guy actually wanted to talk with her about something she was comfortable with, and perhaps she could meet another critter enthusiast: how could she say no?

She rose from the ground and flashed a massive smile. "I think I've got more than enough time to talk about these wonderful little guys."

"Excellent." He returned the grin, and they began an excited discussion over the common methods of handling phoenixes, though they were more than eager to burn the night away talking about each and ever critter and animal they came across.

* * *

Pinkie Pie was going to have the time of her life, and this time around, there was nopony to stop her. . .

She grinned as she bounced her way towards the snack tables, knowing full well that the absence of Discord meant that Celestia was relying on _her_ to make this another amazing Gala, even if those meanies that called themselves upper class mocked her for her energy.

She wasn't surprised when the uppity ponies hastily scrambled out of her way, letting her pass by unhindered: which only made her arrival that much easier. She was surprised, however, to find that the refreshments table was running pretty low on stocks, which would be a problem for what she had planned.

After a moment to think, she decided against fetching Applejack, because not even she was really able to help her out. Her Pinkie senses were telling her that her friend was otherwise occupied, having her own fun time on a date with a mysterious stallion. How she knew that. . . she didn't think about it too much: her Pinkie senses never led her astray before. "And you know it, mister Seer! Now, I'm sure you could probably just write me in some tasty snacks for this plan of yours, but I like to play by my own rules."

Sure enough, she reached into her mane, and steadily pulled out an entire new table, filled with stacks and stacks of various goodies laying in wait to be utterly devoured.

Before she had even managed to pull the entire massive table out from a pocket of space-time, the ponies around her were already running for their lives, fearing the raw power being displayed. She giggled madly to herself, knowing that the crowds would soon return, so ensconced by their primal needs, watching as she utterly devoured this table of goodies. She pulled and pulled, knowing this table was the mother of all tables, as it stretched and nearly hit the wall before it cleared her mane, and sitting atop it was a feast worthy of a Princess: a feast that even Princess Celestia would gape at.

"It seems like you've truly made a feast worthy of all of Equestria." She heard a pony comment from behind her, though she was too busy hungrily eyeing the food laid out before her. Instead of turning to meet the guy talking to her, she opted for a cheerful nod at the display.

"Care for a bite?"

"I'd love to, but I couldn't just eat a feast like this without an entourage of cheering ponies." That comment managed to turn her around, and she gazed at the funny pony behind her; a baby blue earth pony with a bubbly pink mane, one that was eerily similar to her own. His lovely pink eyes held an excited spark, kindling inside of her an eager appetite for the food he was threatening to eat in front of her. "Though I suppose if the two of us were to make a show out of it; then just maybe we could have some ponies gather around, ponies who understood a good fun face-stuffing competition and cheer us on."

"I do like your thinking, but I doubt that there are that many ponies around here as fun as me, though you are sounding more and more like my kind of best-best-best friend!" She beamed, motioning with a hoof to the snobby nobles all hiding from sight behind pillars; she knew they were looking on with amusement, even if 'proper' society didn't let them.

"They'll come around. Ponies can't resist a good time." He replied shortly, smiling as he stepped up to the side of the table. "My name's Happy Days, if the shining sun on my flank is anything to go off of."

He flourished a blue forehoof over his flank, which happened to have a very happy-looking sun, complete with a massive, cheerful grin and squinting eyes. "But that's not really important. What I'm just dying to know is: just how down are you to a good old fashioned food stuffing contest?"

She felt a devilish grin part her lips, and she instantly took her place opposite him on the table, the two donning bibs and forks from out of thin air. An air of inescapable power pervaded the room, and the gathered ponies couldn't resist the call of wonder as they slowly began filing back into the room, horrified at the display they knew was to take place.

Whatever was happening here was going to be the most undignified, least respectable thing to ever happen in the palace, and none of the onlookers had any capacity to stop what was about to happen: they could only watch. Everypony present was terrified at what gripped them, and their horrors had only just begun.

Time slowed as both Pinkie and Happy counted down from three to start piling into the food, forks and spoons held at the ready, and even the food itself seemed to sweat with nervous anticipation.

* * *

Rarity considered herself lucky, as those terrible ponies that considered themselves so high and mighty had been dragged off to witness some terrible even in the dining area. She had evaded their annoying antics entirely.

She stopped what she was doing as she passed a mirror, and carefully studied herself, examining every scrap of fabric, every strand of her mane, and every inch of her glorious coat to make sure she was total perfection. Her dress was something more old-school, calling back to her original dress all those years ago: with rich violets and lovely purples, adorned with gemstones and pearls that made her look like the most noble or royals. Her scarf had been modified, of course, to keep with the modern glowing aesthetic, and had been replaced with a light pink lacy material.

The one thing she was determined to do tonight was make a good impression with somepony respectable, as her first experience with ponies here at the Gala had been poor. She'd learned her lesson, though, and was going to avoid ponies as awful as Blueblood: perhaps speaking with somepony that actually had a bit of taste, and had any shred of chivalry to their name.

She had to roll her eyes at that bitter memory, forcing herself away from the mirror looking as perfect and fabulous as ever.

She turned to continue along the party, when she caught the attention of somepony. The stallion, a charcoal-gray unicorn donning a fancy tunic and single gold earring, bore a satisfied and confident smile as he approached her. His pitch black mane reminded her of spilled ink, and it wrapped around his face, as if it were a border drawn around his features. She stopped to politely smile back, but was nervous about actually meeting this pony: her fear over him being another Blueblood overriding her desire for a proper date and her own Prince Charming.

"Greetings, miss." He said with a gratuitous bow. "You wouldn't happen to be the Miss Rarity, would you? Your reputation has grown astronomically back home, and I had come here to meet somepony as grand as yourself."

While she was immediately wary of him, the fact that this guy seemed to know who she was, and that word of her has begun to spread, in a positive light no less, eased her a bit towards conversation, so she offered a polite bow and nod. "Please, just call me Rarity. Excuse my curiosity, but how exactly is it that you've heard of me? I know my work has started to stretch out there a bit, but I still like to think that I'm not that popular of a seamstress to warrant the attention of ponies with such. . . taste as yourself."

"Are you implying that my tastes are all that varied from the Equestrian taste?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow, but his expression immediately shifted as he realized the formalities he was missing. "Ah, pardon me, Miss Rarity. My name is Unholy Gem."

She let out a light gasp as he dropped with another deep bow, but recovered herself before he could see her shocked. When he rose, his deep blue eyes shone with an anticipation that she didn't quite understand. "And as for how it is that I've heard of your talents. . . well, in the small manor of the Silver Hooves, we are articulated in finding the finest of attire for nobles, and your lines have been popular for some time. As I said; I was here hoping to meet the amazing mare behind the best work we'd seen in some time. And it truly is an honor."

"Oh, well. . . I'm flattered you think so highly of my work, especially since I put so much effort into making the best clothes." She said with a smile.

"But of course!" He stepped back, shock appearing on his face. "Your clothes truly are the best we've ever seen! I've never had a supplier provide such fine fabric as the ones who retrieved your work, and it is just such a shame to see so little of it being worn or displayed here."

"Yes, I would have loved to see my work flourish more, but I don't do this just for the money of reputation. I design quality fabrics for anypony willing to wear them." She replied stoically, though she was warming up to this guy more and more as they talked.

"Does it have anything to do with the behavior of these ponies?" He asked, leaning in and dropping his voice to a near whisper. "Perhaps there is a place you could fill me in on the strange way these so called 'nobles' behave, so that we might find some means of enlightening them?"

She was quite the fan of this idea, and with a sly nod to a quiet section of the building, she began a discreet trot towards a more secluded place to discuss expanding these snobby ponies' tolerance of all ponies.

* * *

Rainbow Dash groaned as she trotted passed another group of ponies, her hopes steadily declining that she'd have an entourage of fans clamoring for her attention. Sure, she wasn't wearing her usual Wonderbolt uniform, but she figured that there would have been somepony that would have recognized her and wanted to talk to her. Instead, the crowds around her seemed to be completely oblivious to her presence as if she were just another random pony in the crowd. Seriously, what did it take for a little acknowledgment? Was this stupid dress Rarity forced her into displeasing her adoring fans?

Lost in her thoughts, she found herself standing next to a pillar, glaring at the pockets of ponies, each surrounding a decorated Wonderbolt, leaving her feeling unexpectedly hollow, as if she weren't truly a Wonderbolt. Ponies would have known who she was even if she were in one of Rarity's flashy dresses, right?

She sighed, feeling herself deflate a little and her wings drooped down to the floor.

"Can it be true?" She looked up to the pony suddenly standing in front of her, and her eyes met what seemed to be an exact copy of her. . . well; exact in the sense that this was a stallion standing in front of her, but he looked just like her. He smirked at her, and she instantly picked up on his aura of complete confidence, an aura that incited her instinct to challenge him. "Is this depressed mare really the great Rainbow Dash? The mare who can fly so fast that she actually created a Sonic Boom?"

"Yeah, I am." She retorted, standing tall and fixing her attitude to better reflect her reputation. "And just who are you, to judge me?"

"Oh, of course. My apologies, Miss Dash." He grinned coyly at her before offering a lousy excuse for a bow. "My name is Sky Bolt, former royal guard and aficionado of great fliers, and I must say that I was expecting a mare with a reputation such as yours to be in the midst of those crowds."

"Yeah, well: they bore me." She replied nonchalantly, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment now that she was being recognized, sitting all alone no less! "These crowds just slow me down, ya know? I was actually just letting my wings get a bit of a rest: all the flying we do at the Wonderbolts can really put a strain on your flight muscles. And trust me: I've definitely been flying a whole lot."

"Oh? So you weren't moping about. . . got it." He said with a slow, knowing nod, and she could almost swear he winked at her, but the motion was so fast she wasn't sure. Then he nodded towards a table off in the distance. "You know; if you were looking to do something a bit more fun, that would still give your wings a break, then I think I've got the perfect idea for a pony as reputable as yourself."

"And what would that be?" She asked, puffing her chest to look as stoic and awesome as she could: one fan was better than none, and she had to make a good impression.

"Nothing terribly special, but fun in its own right: I was hoping I might be able to entertain you with a drinking contest. I hear that there is a special brew of cider being served here: especially strong according to some of my friends." He chuckled at the hopeful, if devious grin that appeared on her lips at the suggestion.

"Oh, you're _so_ on! I'll drink you under the table."

"Well, if you're so confident, then how about we raise the stakes a bit?" He asked, his own grin appearing as her curiosity got her to lean in. He leaned in close to her ear, refraining himself from chuckling as he felt the tuft of cyan fur flick against his cheek once he got close.

Rainbow felt her cheeks heat up instantly once he whispered the suggested gamble into her ear, and she wouldn't even try to stop her wings from shooting out in surprise and excitement. Her feathers may not be shutting anytime soon, but her pride refused to be defeated, and she stood her ground stoically as he leaned back, a suggestive grin on her muzzle as she wordlessly turned and led him out of the large room.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Spike asked, twiddling his claws anxiously as he watched Twilight pack supplies into her saddlebag. He sat on her throne, his eyes twitching between the large glowing map in front of him, and the purple mare preparing for a trip off to the side. "You only just met him a last night."

"I know, but this isn't anything serious: he just invited me to visit his house, so it's not like I'm doing anything serious." Twilight rolled her eyes as she checked the contents of her saddlebag, smiling at the number of books and scrolls she was bringing. This was going to be a fun trip for her. "There's nothing for you to worry about, and I'll be back in time for dinner."

"If you really want to go through with this, then I want to come with you!" Spike jumped from his seat, his face set in a determined expression as he stepped up to her saddlebag. He stared down the purple pony princess for a few seconds before the two chuckled and relaxed. "If he was serious about that library of his, I'm sure he would have some impressive comics for me to read while the two of you nerd out."

"Two ponies having an intellectual conversation isn't 'nerding out,' Spike. Besides, you're the one who's going to be reading comics while we talk, so you don't even have room to talk." Twilight shot playfully, using her magic to settle the saddlebags across her back, teasing the young dragon with a raspberry blown at him. "Come on; I told him we'd meet south of town at noon, and we're going to be late if we wait much longer."

"Fine." Spike sighed, setting his shoulders and flying ahead of the Princess towards the large double doors.

* * *

"Ah, you made it!" Gleaming Star exclaimed as the lavender alicorn softly landed on the top of the grassy knoll, though his cheerful expression took a subtle hit when he saw the small dragon following along. "And you brought. . . a guest. . ."

"Hello, Gleaming Star." Twilight greeted with a sheepish grin once she landed, her sly expression turning to the dragon who was giving the violet unicorn a stern once-over, judging him critically. "I'd like to introduce you to Spike, my number one assistant and sort of baby brother, though that's a little complicated. He wanted to tag along hoping to see your library. . . I may have gotten a little excited after our discussion last night."

"That's fine." Gleaming Star smiled, his expression returning to an overtly positive one as he spun around and started leading them away from town and towards the Everfree. "I suppose it won't be much of a problem as long as he doesn't mess things up too much. I might even have some books he'd enjoy."

"Comics?" Spike asked ecstatically, jumping up to stand beside the guy, giving his best hopeful expression, while Gleaming Star could only chuckle and shake his head at the behavior.

"Yeah, I think I've got a comic or two in there that you might like, but we'll have to wait until we get there to find out. It shouldn't be too much further along, the house is just up here."

"I still can't believe somepony like you would choose to live so close to the Everfree Forest: I can only think of a couple of ponies who would brave that place all the time, though Fluttershy isn't exactly terribly close. Zecora lives inside the place, though: still don't know how." Twilight said as she trotted to the other side of Gleaming Star and matching his pace. "Have you had any trouble with the local wildlife?"

"Not a whole lot, I think the building intimidates most of them, so I can get away living mostly in peace, reading the books or doing some research." He shrugged, nodding towards a tower peaking over the next hill, a large crystalline structure shining in the sunlight with an amazing shade of pink. As they ascended the hill, the rest of the building revealed itself, spreading out from the base of the tower like a modest castle or large estate. The whole structure was made of what looked to be rose quartz, and glowed brilliantly in the surrounding area. Just behind the large home was the treeline to the Everfree, it's gnarled branches seemingly reaching out to embrace the resistant structure.

"It's beautiful." Twilight gasped. "You truly understated how gorgeous this place is, Gleaming Star."

"Thank you. Would you like a tour?" He smirked at the gaping princess before gesturing with his hoof for them to continue. "I'm sure Spike is eager to read some comics, and I can tell you're itching to get inside."

"I don't know what you are waiting on, but I can't wait to look inside: this place is stunning!" Spike declared with a quick jump into the air.

"Alright, follow me." Gleaming Star said, and he started heading down the hill, leading them towards two large, particularly rosy doors that marked the grand entrance to an equally grand building. He paused at the doors to let Spike and Twilight gawk and the magnificence of what was truly a palace, then the doors were gripped in a light green magic, and slowly forced inward. As the doors parted, a long, gleaming hallway appeared before them, carpeted with an elaborate rug stitched to perfection in beautiful shapes and designs. Vases interspersed the doors splitting off from the hallway that separated the building seemingly in two, ending in a spiraling staircase that probably went straight up the tower.

"Somehow, it's even more gorgeous." Spike was closing in on the point of drooling, but managed to hold himself in check for Twilight's sake. He had to forcibly pry his eyes to the rug so he'd stop ogling anything else, though the action did little to help. He gave himself a shake and looked to the mare he came here to protect. "I suppose you're going to want to explore the rest of this place, but I don't think I can handle much more before my brain explodes from pure awesomeness, so I'll have to limit myself to just the library."

"Yeah. . . I'm getting the same vibes." Twilight mumbled, though her eyes were darting around the elegant hallway as if they themselves were trying to decide which part of the building was the most beautiful. "But I did want to see this observatory you mentioned."

"To the library it is." Gleaming Star nodded happily, leading them along the incredibly plush carpet down three large crystalline double doors to a pair of heavy oak ones. He paused at the doors to gauge their reactions, anxious in the dragon's eyes, and a sparkle of blissful anticipation in Twilight's. He thought to himself; _Just wait until you see the rest._

Spike shuffled in place, eager to get to these juicy comics that Gleaming Star surely had hiding within, though he wondered just how many the guy actually had lying around. He never struck the dragon as the type to read comics, but more along Twilight's alley with sciencey stuff. But still, the moment those doors swung open, revealing a library impressive enough to make the Canterlot Royal Library blush, he wouldn't even try to stop the gaping soon to come.

He had to blink and rub his eyes to make sure that this wasn't some kind of trick, but these sheer number of books being displayed, lined nearly on shelves stacked clear to the roof, with three floors to access them, there was no faking this. He wanted to step inside and see whether the back wall mirrored what they could see, but Twilight beat him to it, dashing inside with the most joyous look on her face.

He couldn't dare interfere with that.

So he stopped and let her spin around in utter glee with star-crossed eyes at what was a truly impressive library collection. The only thing that snapped him out of his stupor was the genuine chuckle coming from the guy now standing next to him. "I knew that she enjoyed reading, but to see this for myself; I'm glad I kept the collection."

"And so is she." Spike returned, motioning for him to follow. The two stepped inside the library, mostly to keep track of Twilight as she darted to and fro, obviously scanning each and every book to see what she had already read and what would demand her attention. "Uh, hey Gleaming Star. . . where are your comics?"

"Ah." He hummed to himself and looked around. "I think there are some this way."

The guy led Spike off to one side, where, sure enough, he had a number of Power Pony comics, which the dragon immediately took to. He let the purple unicorn walk off, and as much as he admired Twilight's ability to absorb so much, he really needed some time to cool off, as this place was too perfect to just too much. He grabbed a special edition comic, one that he had most definitely not read, plopped himself into a beanbag chair, and began to spoil himself.

Gleaming Star left the dragon to do his own thing, as he now had the perfect opportunity to try and get Twilight's opinion on the place, if only he could get her attention first.

The lavender alicorn was distraught that she couldn't filter through the books fast enough darting around, so she had resorted to teleporting around the large room. He did save himself a small chuckle at her overabundant enthusiasm, and while he was hesitant to break into her flustered state, he didn't just bring her here to show off his library. Clearing his throat, he called out to the Princess loud enough to get her attention.

She paused mid-flight, glancing down sheepishly from inspecting another trio of books for new titles, blushing heavily when she realized how she was behaving in front of him. She placed the books back and gently touched down, laughing nervously as she tried to straighten her mane. "Sorry about that. . . it's just been so long since I've had new books to read, and the ones at the library have gotten so old."

"It's not a problem, Princess." He responded with a happy smile. "I don't want to intrude too much on your searching, but I wanted to know just what you thought of this place. We might even be able to share some books over lunch?"

"Oh, that sounds like a fantastic idea!" She beamed happily, eagerly nodded and gesturing with a hoof to the shelves and shelves of books surrounding them. "I just love that you're managed to safely store so many books, especially so close to the Everfree Forest, and that they all are in perfect condition! It's as if these have been looked after by a team of librarians determined to do their job!"

"I"m glad you also appreciate the proper care and management of these sources of knowledge."

"And while I haven't started reading the books, some of the titles I particularly recognized were some pretty advanced courses on amazing fields of magic theory that I can't help but wonder where you got them." He could feel her passions rising, and there was a twinkle in her eye that he instantly knew was from her deep admiration of the collection. "Of course, I won't pry, but I just find it so interesting that you've secured such a treasure here, and I am eternally grateful you found me worthy of sharing it with!"

"Anything for the wonderful Princess of Friendship." He chuckled and did a short bow. "I think I'll go and grab us some sandwiches for lunch; is there anything that I can get you, Twilight?"

"I can't think of anything that I'd like to eat right now, but I think that's just because of all these exciting books around me!" She pranced in place, squealing loudly at the opportunity before her. "But I haven't eaten all day, so if you're okay with making me something, I guess you could surprise me."

"As you wish, Princess." He bowed and trotted off to the kitchens to get the two of them some sandwiches. He returned rather promptly with a platter of sandwiches, along with a pair of glasses of water floating next to him, only to find the Princess surrounded by a wall of books. He smiled to himself and approached the obstacle, sitting down and clearing his throat to get her attention. "Princess, I have our lunch prepared."

There was a clear silence, then the top few rows of floating books fell away, followed by the middle splitting like a great literature door opening. He stepped through the opening and offered her one of the sandwiches, though she was fairly unresponsive. He noted that her eyes almost seemed glazed over as they sped over the pages bared before her, and as he made the observation, a pang of worry went through him. He nibbled on a wedge and began to think of some way to salvage this sort of date, until he finally came up with an idea.

"Princess, if you want, we could come here again, but there is still so much of this beautiful place to show you; perhaps we could put the books down and I could show you the wonders of living so close to the Everfree?" He put a hoof on her shoulder, offering her a warm smile as she slowly brought her attention away from the books.

She looked between him and the wall before them, and she appeared conflicted for a second. Then she sighed and returned the warm smile, and every book closed itself and flew into a neat pile off to one side of the room. "I'd love to see what else there is here."

"Excellent!" He beamed, taking her hoof and leading her out of the library. They dashed down the halls, stopping at a pair of pink-tinted glass doors, and through the material, the two could see what looked like a small garden. Twilight gave him an excited nudge towards the door, then his magic took effect at the doors parted; revealing a lush, if modest, garden full of flowers of every variety. He stepped forward, leading her by the hoof up to a lovely rose bush. "Due to the erratic nature of the Everfree, most plants seem to be in full bloom year round, and some of the thorny bushes grow fabulously large flowers."

"I can see." She said as she bent over and sniffed at a massive pink rose. "They're lovely."

"Thank you. It took a surprising amount of work to make sure nothing overrun the place, and the maintenance is rough, but the result is worth the effort." He nodded, leading her further into the small enclosure, allowing the sweet scent of flowers to flow around them. The two took their time crossing the garden, until they reached the far wall, where a small clearing had been reserved, with a bench in the middle. "On cloudless nights, I find that bringing a book out here is one of the best ways to relax."

"That sounds amazing." Twilight sighed, leaning against him once they sat on the bench.

"Maybe we could try it sometime, though I imagine you're going to want to read through those books at some point." He nodded to himself, leaning back in his seat and letting the two sit in silence for a while. Twilight was all too happy to allow that to happen, so she nestled in and got comfortable, her eyes drifting around the sight before her, from the stunning walls to the mesmerizing, almost picturesque view before her. The way the colors of the flowers mingled together, this was something she wished she had back home.

Little more than an hour passed as the two sat there, enjoying the garden and offering small talk, with them both giving brief stories about their upbringings. Twilight was happy to learn about the academies from his hometown, and she happily listened to his tales from school, while he showed great enthusiasm in hearing about the life of the personal student of Princess Celestia.

She liked to think that the two of them would have continued talking for the rest of the day, but Spike's appearance over the rose bushes put an end to that activity. She facehoofed when she realized that they had left him alone in the library, and she shot off the bench to greet him. His claws waved her off before she could get anywhere. "I uh. . . I can see that the two of you have been enjoying each other's company, so I think I'll just. . . uh. . . head home. I'll let the two of you have your date, and I'll fend for myself tonight. Have fun!"

Before Twilight could interject, he flew off, his little purple wings busting to get him out of the building and on his way home before she stopped him. Gleaming Star stepped up to her side. "Well, I'm sorry that he wasn't interested in seeing the rest of my home, I think he might have liked to see the observatory."

". . . yeah." She sighed. Her wings sagged to the ground and she pawed at the lost opportunity to spend some more time with her number one assistant.

"If you want to call it off, I'm sure we could plan for some other day." He suggested, giving her a light nudge, then added under his breath: "Even though I really wanted to show you that telescope."

"No, no." Twilight said, picking herself up and doing her best to appear as cheery as she could. "It's fine. After everything that I've seen, I think that it's about time I got into the dating scene, and Spike's perfectly capable of taking care of himself. So how about you go and show me what else this place has to offer, now that I'm out of the library. It'll be nice to be doing something, and I know Spike: he's going home, and that's that."

"As you wish." He bowed. When he stood up, he was wearing a large grin, his horn glowing green as he charged a spell. "I think it's finally time we got to see the marvelous location that garnered your attention in the first place!"

The two of them disappeared in a pop, his green magic taking them back inside, where they landed gently on the plush carpet, staring right through the arched entrance before the tower stairs. His grin still plastered over his muzzle, he took her by the hoof and the two took the scenic route up to the observatory. It was something that only reminded Twilight of just how much time she'd been spending indoors lately: her hindquarters were burning as they neared the top, and her legs ached all sorts of painfully.

Before they were able to reach the proper room, they were halted by a smooth wooden door, inlaid with some of the most beautiful gemstones she had ever seen: gems that would have had Rarity going mad to make the best dresses ever for. He looked over his shoulder at her, his expression exciting her anticipation like few things ever would.

And just like that: his horn flared to life and the door was flung aside, and with it, her excitement boiled over and she practically leaped through the entrance. The room may have been dark, but she wasn't letting anything disturbed her wonder: the ceiling was painted with glowing stars, casting more than ample light to look around. Just before her was possibly the single largest telescope outside of the Canterlot Royal Observatory's. The massive array was centered in the tower, with the lens housing resting just below the ceiling, which she just knew had to be magically moved so that it could pick up on some of the most gorgeous sights around. She stepped up to the eyepiece, taking a moment to admire the ornate design, and doing her best to suppress her rising jealousy. Everything about it was perfect, it was elegant, it was massive, and she was reaching the point where she would be unable to contain her desire, no her _need_, to use the thing. If only Princess Celestia could lower the sun early just this one day. . .

"I knew that if there was a pony in Equestria that could truly appreciate this telescope, it would be you." Gleaming Star stepped up beside her, his usual grin already replaced by a knowing smile. "We're definitely using it tonight, right?"

"Without a doubt." She nodded. "I just wonder what the views must be, so far from any major city, especially on a clear night. . ."

"They're some of the most gorgeous you can find so far south." He pulled her off to one side of the mechanism, leading her to a table covered with papers. "If it had been constructed near the Crystal Empire, and the weather permitted it, the sights are stunning. . . just like you."

She looked down bashfully, berating herself for the intense heat rising in her cheeks, which she just knew had to be visible even in this light. "Thanks.

"What are these?" She asked as soon as they reached the table, doing whatever she could to get his eyes off of her, if only so she could try to cool off. He used his magic to pull up one of the pages, which had lines and lines of notes on it., and after a sparing glance, floated it over to her.

"Just some notes on that recent meteor shower that fell over the Everfree: it was a disappointing event, considering the circumstances." She grabbed the paper and looked over the notes, then began to pull various other pages off, reading through everything and asking questions over whatever caught her fancy. He seemed more than happy to sit there and answer her questions, though every time she picked up another page, she would see that he had been staring at her with a small, appreciative smile. The frequent observations did nothing to ease the growing flustered feeling she had. . . nor did they remove the butterflies being persistently annoying in her stomach.

She put down another stack of papers, this one being a scientific study from one of her old magic professors from just before she left guidance under the Princess. She wanted to reach for another thing for them to read, as he had taken a rather comfortable spot right next to her sometime during the reading, when the bright glare of the sun shone directly into her eyes.

She winced and raised her wings to block the sunlight now streaming through the tiny window that had it's blinds removed for easier reading. She hadn't realized just how long the pair of them had been sitting there: it was getting pretty late, and she'd spent most of that time with her date reading papers.

She chuckled to herself and rose from her seat on the floor, groaning as her body complained to her yet again: first the long trip up the stairs and now moving after being seated so long? They weren't happy.

"I guess we've been sitting around for a lot longer than we probably should have been." She smiled as she tried he best to do a modest stretch. "I'm sorry that this may not have been exactly what you were hoping for in a get together, but I did have a very fun time: even if it was mostly just sitting around. I'd understand if you didn't want to do anything else together again, though I'd absolutely love it if I could-"

"I'm going to have to stop you right there, Princess." His eyebrows shot right up, and he placed a soft hoof on her shoulder. "I had an absolute blast today. And while it wasn't what most would call a proper date, I still enjoyed myself, but that's besides the point, because we're still not quite done with what I had planned."

"Oh?" She cocked her head.

His smile split his muzzle even more as he turned and lead her back down the stairs. "I've had some food slow-cooking in the oven that I'm planning on sharing with you for dinner. I knew you'd want to spend most of your time exploring the books I've got here, so I made plans for an extended visit: because after dinner, the stars are going to be out in full bloom tonight, and I wanted to give you a luxury testing of the telescope."

She stopped dead in her tracks and gaped at the confessions, staring at him like he had just declared the entire property hers.

He had gotten about three steps down before he had to stop and face her, finding her not following him down. He chuckled and nodded in confirmation for her, barely managing to get her to snap out of it and continue down the spiraling stairs. He led her into the dining area, pulling out a chair for her to sit in, which she gratefully took.

The lavender alicorn looked around the small dining room, finding the modest design, especially when compared to the grandeur of the rest of the house. The kitchen was equally simple, which she found very appealing, as her senses had been on total overload for the entire trip, and now she felt she had a place to relax. She watched as he trotted around a sparkling island counter-top and open an oven, using his magic to pull out something that smelled mouthwateringly delicious. There was some more activity she heard but couldn't see, and then he returned to the dining room table, and gloating behind him was their entire meal: a small pan filled with a lovely hashbrown casserole, which was getting her stomach growling viciously, a basket of sweet rolls, and floating ever so slightly behind those was a bucket filled with ice, where the neck of a green bottle peaked over the rim.

She smirked inwardly at the display, though her hunger was forcing the feeling down quickly, and thanked him for the dinner as he took his seat across from her. The food floated between them, with the bucket taking the center as if to tease her with it's consumption later.

Without another word, his horn lit up, and a short spell was cast, with barely half a second pause before the air inches above the table shimmered, and green sparkles floated into existence. Then, in a burst of green flames that clung to the deeper parts of her memory, though any thoughts were replaced instantly, two candelabras burst onto the table, flickering a warm orange light that complimented the atmosphere well.

"Shall we?" He gestured towards the food before them, his magic grabbing their plates and sliding a perfect section of casserole and a roll onto each. She nodded gratefully and the pair began to eat, making small talk as the meal progressed: though she savored each and every bite. This meal was one of the best she had ever had, and she made every mental note she could to try some of the other foods this stallion could make. It reminded her of the Apple family food she had had before, with its heavy aroma and powerful flavor. The rolls were incredible, though not quite up to par with somepony's cooking like Pinkie, or the Cake's.

Eventually, once their meals had been finished, they put their plates to the side, and a pair of wine glasses appeared before Gleaming Star, materializing in much the same manner that their romantic lighting had. She watched him with tentative eyes, locked onto his sly grin as he uncorked the freshly chilled wine, pouring them a generous serving.

She couldn't quite remember the last time she had had wine, or any alcohol for that matter, but she wasn't going to let the lack ruin her evening. Taking a delicate sip, she forced down a cough of surprise: it was strong.

She glanced over at him, grimacing a little at his small laughter, and tried a more purposeful sip this time: she was not going to give him the impression she couldn't do proper adult things. She was a Princess! After doing her best to adapt to the drink, she put more effort into enjoying the delicacy he'd brought out. He reminded her that she shouldn't be too hasty in downing her share of wine, and that helped her to curb herself.

After a glass or two had been cleaned, he grabbed the bottle in his magic and rose from his seat. "I'm feeling pleasantly warm about now, and the stars are surely out by now. So what say you to our gazing of the heavens above?"

She hiccuped before rising from her own seat, already feeling a buzz from the wine, and nodded happily. She eagerly followed him out to the hall, though she hit a bit of a roadblock on the stairs, losing her balance once or three times heading up the circle of steps. She couldn't actually remember the last time she drank. . .

She smiled as she found herself suddenly sitting beside this violet unicorn, watching the ceiling as it steadily split open to reveal one of the most beautiful skies she'd seen in so, so long. She leaned up against him, sighing as she lost herself in the constellations, and began to slur her way through the ones she could remember, the ones that she'd never forget. Her wing must have wrapped around him while she did so, because it got strangely cold when he leaned forward to focus the machine.

She groaned in displeasure and wrapped around him tighter, eliciting a surprised yelp from the guy when she pressed her head into his shoulder, her eyes now locked on him. "Where has this place been all my life?"

"Just wait until you get to see the stars: they truly are magnificent." He pulled her up to the eyepiece, whispering in her ear and holding her by the hoof to keep her steady. She grinned and leaned against it, doing her best to stay straight as she peered through the machine, admiring a view she absolutely loved.

Hours could have passed and she would happily have remained there, but eventually, the wine had run its course, and she could no longer stifle the encroaching exhaustion. She let out a mighty yawn and started to slip away from the machine, only to be caught in Gleaming Star's hooves. He smiled down at her and helped her back onto her hooves, though he threw her wing over his shoulders to help her stay upright. "Come on, Princess. I've got to get you to bed: it's late, dark, and I can't just send you home like this."

She could only nod sleepily as she took in the warmth his side was feeding her, and she found it progressively harder to keep her eyes up. She followed him through the crystal building until she fell onto a lavish bed, the silken sheets wrapping around her perfectly, and then she felt herself truly slipping into blissful sleep.

The last thing she thought she could feel were the gentle hooves of a compassionate pony wrapping around her and pulling her in to a loving embrace.

* * *

_Earlier that morning_

Rainbow Dash groaned and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes, though everything hurt. It just hurt.

She felt a pounding drum hammering inside her skull, and her throat felt utterly parched, her shoulders were stiff and her. . .

Her eyes snapped open, fully awake, as all the memories of the night before came crashing down, and for just a second, she felt genuine fear. Then the rest came through, and she could recall the drinking, the party, and why she felt so horrible in head and throat. She felt a surge of heat spread across her face as she recalled coming back to that guy's place after the drinking, which would have to explain why the rest of her ached.

That Sky Bolt sure did stick true to that Royal Guard physical training. . .

She pulled herself to the edge of the bed, where a glass of water rested, as if the guy had left it just for her. She grabbed the thing and just downed it.

Feeling the headache already beginning to fade, she struggled into a sitting position, sparing a glance around the room, now that she had the chance to, and admired the simplistic manner in which everything was held: the floors were hardened cloud, strong enough to hold actual pony things, like this bed. The cloud walls were mostly bare, save a window and a mirror. Through the doorway, she could see what looked like a couple of dressers, or something.

She crawled her way out of the bed, which had a balled up rainbow-themed blanket, and she tried her best to make her way to the bathroom: she needed a shower.

* * *

Applejack laughed at herself as she strolled through the wonderfully smelling barn-house: her regret having finally been taken over by her enjoyment of the passed couple of days. She doubted she'd ever realize exactly why she had followed Crimson Orchard to his place, or why she had stuck out for the night with him, but she wasn't going to regret it one bit: that stallion was a piece of work, and had some traits that she found a great deal of pleasure in seeing.

If only she'd remembered the directions back to town. . .

"Uh. . . hey there, Crimson! Ya got one o' the best bathrooms Ah think Ah've ever seen!" She was truly astonished with how great this place was: it was like everything Sweet Apple Acres had, but more personalized for this here stallion.

"Why thank ya, Miss Applejack." The red stallion said, grabbing a plate of waffles and offering them to the mare. "Ah'd love ta stay an' chat with ya, but there are a few errands Ah gotta run in town, and then an emergency came up with some other work, so Ah think Ah'll be away for most o' the day. Ya just go an' make yerself at home, and Ah'll see to it that Ah bring ya back somethin' special." He was gone before she had the chance to ask him for directions, and she wasn't feeling particularly adventurous for today: so she figured everypony else would be more than capable of handling things for just one day. . . right?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The night was filled with stars as Fluttershy trotted through the most beautiful garden she had ever seen. It was so full of wildlife and some of the most stunning flowers she had ever seen, she wondered if this was even real. Butterscotch had been absolutely right about this place: it was a sanctuary that would be perfect for so many animals that didn't have a means of getting to her own. It was the perfect safe haven for many of the adorable little critters of the Everfree that just wanted a peaceful, happy life.

She had to wonder how it was that she had never seen this place before, or how it was that it had evaded so many of the plights that the area had been prone to.

But at the same time, she was so happy it had that she had very little concern over its means of protection, and that was more than enough. These animals had a safe home to rest in, and that was all that really mattered.

She walked through the open clearing, smiling brilliantly at the mass of animals all gently snoring and resting under a peaceful sky. Once she reached the far end of the sanctuary, she shuffled under the branches of a tree until she came to the wooden door, where she let herself in and was greeted by the gentle glow of the warm fire. Just inside the literal tree house, Butterscotch had been preparing a small salad for the two of them, a sort of midnight snack now that every other little critter had been put to sleep.

She was happy that he understood what this kind of life was like.

She accepted the wooden bowl, and began to gently nibble on the really nice food, finding a place to sit next to the bright yellow stallion. He ate his food in silence as well, and even though the two were utterly exhausted from the long day of hard work, she could still _feel_ the fire in his eyes. The way he looked at her made her feel feelings she wasn't entirely sure the name of, but it had a similar result to the feelings she got taking care of animals. She caught him sparing fleeting glances at her from time to time, either when they were working or when they had a moment to sit down and relax. Even now, she could see his bright blue eyes cast longingly on her.

It tied her stomach in knots.

She flashed him a warm smile and leaned against him, her smile growing more and more pleased with how events were unfolding. She was very much looking forward to working with this amazing stallion to make this second sanctuary every bit as amazing as it could be.

* * *

Spike was a little concerned when Twilight was a no-show for dinner, though he probably should have suspected as much: if he had gone on a date with Rarity, he'd make sure to have given her the best dinner ever. Then again, as the night wore on, he grew more and more restless, and he worried over how well she was enjoying herself, if at all. He considered heading back to that stunning palace to check in on her, until he stopped himself.

'How would I feel if she interrupted my special moment with Rarity with her fretting?' He had to ask himself, doing his best to be as mature as possible. He knew it was time for him to actually grow up, and as much as he hated it; he had to admit that there weren't a lot of situations that Twilight couldn't pull herself out of.

So he opted for the mature thing to do, and made himself a plate of food, then shared the rest with Starlight, who had invited Trixie over, now that they had the castle to themselves. He went to bed shortly after, as he had had enough excitement for one day.

He crawled out of his room the next morning, bleary eyed but ready for whatever was getting thrown at him. Much to his surprise, very much so considering he had overslept, there wasn't a soul within the crystalline walls, and his claw steps resounded through empty halls. He tapped a claw to his chin, then flew off to the kitchens, thinking maybe Twilight had just been reading while she ate. He pushed the doors aside, and was greeted by a deathly silent room, which did nothing for his search.

He turned and immediately left the kitchen, making a beeline for the Princess' room, knocking on the door and pushing it open without waiting for a response. The room was empty.

He drummed his fists against his thighs as he tried to think of what to do; whether he would even be able to save Twilight from this guy, or if he should even try. By now, he was sure that somepony would have noticed that she was gone, and with how close the girls were, surely they would have already sent out a rescue party. Still, it didn't hurt to see, maybe Twilight was just running really late and had the spend the night over at his place. . .

Yeah, that was probably it. He scoffed at his immediate assumption, took a moment to relax and finally turned around to get on with his chores.

The chores were surprisingly easy, as nothing had been happening in the castle for most of the day yesterday, and with Twilight still gone, he found himself utterly bored and in desperate need of something to do. He sat at the massive map, staring into space as he contemplated the carious things that he could do: but the more he thought about Twilight's date, the more his mind turned towards his own prospect. Perhaps Rarity was in need of some assistance?

He smiled to himself and bolted door the front door, intending to get to her colorful Boutique as soon as he could. It sounded justified to him: if even Twilight had decided to get in on the dating scene, then there was no reason that he had to be subtle with Rarity anymore. . .

As much as he wanted to be brave, he couldn't shake the queasiness in his stomach at the thought of actually asking the most gorgeous mare in Equestria out on a date. Perhaps he was taking the right approach all along, and things might end up better if he took it slowly and warmed her up to the idea. He nodded in conclusion, opting to take the careful route, as he knew that the fashionista would likely hesitate. Shutting the large castle door behind him, he flared his wings and crouched down to take off, thinking of what he was going to try to achieve today.

Thanks to Ponyville's awesome weather team, the skies were clear, with only a light sprinkling of clouds hiding off in the distance. He had very much grown to relish the open skies, now that he was no longer landlocked, and he felt his heart race at the opportunity to share this euphoric feeling with Rarity someday. The creeping thought of using his wings to impress her slowly took over, and grew into an enticing idea: if she showed some hesitation, perhaps he could show her something else he could offer her. He could give her another opportunity to fly through Ponyville.

He liked that.

The Boutique came into sight rapidly, so he slowed down his headlong flight and gently touched down before the door. He wanted to say that it was because of his race here that his heart was nearly in his throat, he really did, but that gripping fear in his head was probably to blame.

A shaky claw reached to the door, closing into a fist as he lightly tapped on it, though he had intended to actually knock. He gulped down his anxiety and hit the door a little harder, then forced himself to open it up and go inside.

He passed through the portal, nearly tripping on his tail as he lost nearly all the courage to go through with his plan. He knew that he decided not to go straight to the question, but the fact he'd considered it was finally catching up with him, and he feared he might grow cold claws over this. Still, he managed to barely power through the trepidation and he slowly shuffled his way into the large room lined by Rarity's life.

"This looks lovely, Rarity." A voice boomed from just upstairs, getting Spike to finally realize he wasn't alone, and that things were about to get a lot more complicated. "But I must insist that you come with me to my estate: I could show you what the other talent in the fashion industry has. And in return, perhaps we could share some gossip about the current state of affairs in Canterlot?"

"Well. . ." Spike heard Rarity chuckle, which was then filled by a pause in which the silence stopped his heart. She actually sighed, and then agreed to follow this random nopony back to their house, giving the purple dragon enough courage to head his up the stairs before anything happened to ruin his only opportunity with the mare of his dreams.

Sprinting up the stairs, he paused just before the door to her room, hiding in the shadows of the spiraling stairs so he could gain his composure and not look like a total fool. Just as the hoofsteps started to leave the room, he straightened his spines and stepped through the doorway, his eyes easily falling onto the visibly flustered mare, who glanced down to him in surprise. "Spike! I didn't hear you come in, darling."

"Oh, well I thought that since Twilight's out doing her own thing, and with nothing really to do at the castle, I could stop by and see if you might want some assistance with work." He then turned to face the newcomer, a deep charcoal gray unicorn that he'd never seen before. In the half second he cared to actually study the guy, Spike thought he looked like bad news: his coat was too dark, his midnight blue mane screamed trouble with its roguish charm, his devious smile as he looked down on the smaller dragon, his contrasting sky blue eyes that sparkled with secrets that Spike couldn't care less about. This guy was bad news, no doubt about that, what would he want with Rarity anyways?

At the admittance to his situation, Rarity shuffled in place for a second, his gaze cast downwards as she contemplated her choices. Eventually, she seemed to settle on her decision, and she looked up to him with a sad face that immediately shattered the young dragon's heart. "I'm sorry, darling; but Unholy Gem here has offered to whisk me off to a lavish estate of his in an opportunity to expand my knowledge of the finer arts even more."

". . .oh, okay." Spike deflated as he stepped out of the way, letting the two trot down the stairs to begin their travels.

Unsure about what to do, he sort of wobbled his way behind them, unintentionally giving them space to leave him with the Boutique. It wasn't until the pair had stepped outside that he finally got his brain working again, which left him with a wave of distrust over just who this guy was supposed to be, stealing away his Rarity like that. He needed to know just what kind of competition he had, so he set his shoulders and dove out the nearest window, hiding in the bushes as he kept his eye on the contrast unicorns.

He may not have been the best at stealth, that was Rainbow Dash's job when they played Ogres and Oubliettes. That said, he still thought he was decent enough at staying hidden for this to work: which was all that mattered. He needed to follow those two to this random pony's 'estate' so he could get a feel for how he was going to have to up his game.

He crept along, dashing around in bushes or around corners as Rarity and her escort made their way across town, until it became clear that wherever they were heading, it wasn't in town. He stayed hidden even though his unease was growing and it became harder to find reliable hiding spots as they left the limits of Ponyville. He recognized the path they were taking as an older trail that led towards the boundary of the Everfree, one that he doubted was used very often.

With the memory that Twilight had also followed a guy towards the edge of that forest, he kept every sense on alert for anything that seemed off.

He followed as the two crested another hill, until he had to stop with the pair still sitting above him. He shifted in the bush he was hiding in, wondering just what it was that was stopping them, until he finally got to a better place to sneak a glance. His confusion vanished as soon as he saw the gaping surprise plastered on Rarity's face, telling him all he needed to know: she was staring at this guy's place. Just like Twilight had been.

He got a lucky break when this guy led her down the other end of the hill, letting him crawl out of the bush and stretch his aching legs. He didn't really envy anyone that had to sneak around anymore: it was hard work. Still, his mission wasn't over, so he slipped onto his belly and inched forward until he could peek over the hilltop, where he finally got to see his competition.

Resting atop the next hill over, which both Rarity and this Unholy Gem character were climbing, was what Spike would only be able to describe as the pinnacle of regal luxury. This place wasn't nearly as big as the palace that Twilight got to chill in, but he was certain it was as respectable inside as that one. The walls were built from a patterned stone foundation, which cut to sections of smooth stone split by large wooden beams jutting from the foundation like trees rising from the earth. Centered in each regional square, he could make out items from various rooms peaking through clear windows. A chair here, potted plants there, what might have been a kitchen counter through that open window.

The slanted roof was made from dark brown shingles, crowned at the top by a great stone-brick chimney that was spewing out firewood smoke in a constant stream. Whoever this guy was, he had left a fire going while he left to fetch Rarity, and the carelessness of it only heightened Spike's distaste for him.

His attention snapped to the pair of unicorns who were entering through the open gateway, which had previously been blocked by a silvery iron fence. He frowned when the door shut right behind the two, leaving him stranded outside with no way of knowing what was going on inside.

Then his eyes drifted back to the open window, and he thought of a way to keep Rarity safe, and a means of judging how much of a threat this dude actually is. He scrambled across the open clearing between the hills and threw himself against the wall, suddenly very grateful that he had a scaly hide, and snuck his way over to the open window. Nopony was in the room, as far as he could hear, so he pulled himself through it and fell into what was a rather depressing kitchen. This guy obviously had no clue how to cook, which was good for Spike: Rarity was sure to appreciate somepony who could make the most delicious and romantic of dinners. He reached back and put the window back where it belonged, then carefully stepped up to what looked to be the door out of the kitchen.

Pressing an ear against it, he listened for the booming voice of Unholy Gem, figuring that it would work in his favor when he needed to avoid being discovered. Nothing.

He pulled the latch, and slipped into a hallway. His clawed feet sunk into the most amazing carpet he had ever stepped on: which was going to be pretty tough for him to compete with. Twilight's castle wasn't exactly the most homey place to live. He turned and scanned the hallway, frowning at the luxurious paintings donning the walls, until he noticed a tray of items on a table just across from him.

Pulling the bottled liquid from the tray, he popped the cork and took a sniff, but quickly gagging at the awful scent. The bottle was immediately returned.

The hallway was simple: with just the kitchen along one wall, and a set of stairs going up to the second story on the far end. Just a few steps to his left, it opened into what appeared to be a formal dining area, with a heavy-looking wooden table surrounded by plush dining chairs.

He scuttled into the dining area, feeling the warmth of a fire bleeding into the room from the next opening. He spared the room a quick glance, though he knew this shouldn't be too hard to beat, and found the relaxing atmosphere to be pretty effective, and it became increasingly harder to leave the more he stayed in the room. Still, he knew he had to push on, so he rushed out of the room, even though his legs were begging to just sit in one of those nice chairs and relax a bit.

He felt the oppressive serenity begin to release him the moment he stepped out of the room, though his mind still felt a little sluggish until a cleansing voice finally cut through the grogginess and brought him to his senses.

"I do just so love the aura around this place, Mister Gem: it feels so relaxed and peaceful, like I could just slip into a comfy robe and let my mane loose while I read a good book." Rarity said with a heavy sigh of relief. Spike stared straight forward, where the voice was coming from: where both Rarity and Unholy Gem were standing, both perched just in front of a crackling fireplace. His eyes snapped open as wide as they could possibly get, and he instantly froze in fear of being caught inside the same room as the two he was supposed to be hiding from. At least they were looking into the fireplace, which got them facing away from him, and with the carpeted floors, he managed to silently creep his way back into the dining room.

Unfortunately for him, that meant that he found himself being held down by some strange affliction making him unbelievably relaxed. He had to fight to keep his senses alert now that he knew just how close the two ponies were, and with the adrenaline of nearly being caught pumping through his veins, he was able to hold off the strange effect and did what he could to find a way to avoid the two from finding him. The ceiling was too low to hide up there, and he doubted his ability to maintain enough focus to stay up there with whatever effect the dining room had on him.

That left him with only one real option: back out the dining room and into the hall.

So he slowly began to backtrack through the modest room, until he found himself in the rather dreary kitchen, while the booming voice of Unholy Gem inching its way into the dining room. Spike kind of hoped that whatever was effecting him in there would also take hold of that guy, stopping him from trying to steal Rarity from him. But at the same time, he was also a little worried that it might effect Rarity, who would then be trapped in their as well, making him unable to show her the light. . . though it would give him the opportunity to sweep in and save her. . .

He shook his head, which was already functional again as he shuffled back into the hall, removing that unnecessarily rude thought from his head. Who would willingly do that to somepony that they care about? He wasn't going to be that kind of guy.

The voices were now in the dining room, which forced him to back away even faster now, until he got back to the kitchen door. He considered continuing on until he got to the other door at the far end, but he had no clue what was on the other side, and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to risk it just yet. At least with the kitchen he knew that he could just hop on out the window if things got dicey, so he jumped over and launched himself into the kitchen, hoping that his intrusion stayed relatively easy.

With the two in the dining room, he knew he had some time, so he pressed his ear against the wall and listened to what was happening, suddenly finding himself very glad that Unholy Gem was such a loud pony.

"I try to stay out of this room." The voice resounded surprisingly well, despite the distance and obstruction. "As you can already see, it tends to make any occupants rather cozy, and leaving is always a chore. I'm not entirely sure why my family made this room this way, or even if they did in the first place, but it's been more than enough of a reason for me to eat all on my lonesome."

There was a pause, in which Spike was sure that Rarity offered some insightful commentary on the room. The charcoal unicorn followed up: "Yes, I usually just eat somewhere else. Now, the entire reason I asked you to come here is so that we could share some knowledge, and I have had some of the finest linens of our homeland brought here for your inspection. I've heard that you are quite the expert in Equestria, and perhaps these could prove to be beneficial for your inspiration, as well as approval of our methods."

Spike listened with growing worry as the voice worked its way down the hall, though his fears were unfounded as it continued down the hall and towards the door on the far end. He followed across the room as best he could, but the hall was longer than the kitchen, so he was stuck listening in a corner. The two ponies must have passed beyond the door, if the silence was anything to go off of, so he felt comfortable enough sneaking his way to the door and keeping his ears strained for any noise.

When silence was all he got from the hall after a few seconds of waiting, he silently slid the door open a hair and peeked through, greeted by an empty hall.

His heart flooded with relief, and he could feel it slowly dropping from his throat as he pushed the door fully open and made his way towards the far door. He could here things moving about beyond it, but he still wasn't quite certain what was happening, so he stopped at the door and listened intensely. The sounds floating around in there were from magic, he knew that from his life with Twilight, but he was still worried about what was going on.

Peering at the door intently, he appreciated that this door had a random keyhole, though he was certain that it was never used. Still, a keyhole was something that he could use to peek through a closed door, and that was exactly what he did: but his vision was obstructed by the rear end of a stallion. It was truly a sight burned into his nightmares for the rest of time.

He flinched from the door and had to viciously wipe at his eyes, doing whatever he could to erase the burning sensation, though he knew this was a torturous event that would cause him misery for the rest of eternity.

He hesitated for a second, then gathered the will to rise from the ground, even if he was unable to find the strength to try his luck at the keyhole again. He settled into a cautious sitting position by the door, ready to move at a moment's notice: though he wasn't sure whether he would need to move away from the door or near it.

That uncertainty was answered just a few seconds later, when a resounding crashing noise came from behind the door, along with a terrified squeal and a shriek of alarm. Something was going on in that room, and he couldn't remember the last time he had heard Rarity scream like that. She had to be in danger, and that was something that he could never just allow to happen: so he charged forward, giving the most courageous roar he could, and rammed himself against the door, bruising his shoulder and cracking the wood.

Splinters flew into his face, but he wasn't letting anything stop him from breaking down this door, so he backed up and rammed it again, feeling his shoulder protest the abuse, while there was a rummaging sound from beyond the door. The door gave away on his third attempt of battering it down, sending splinters and scraps of wood flying inwards as he broke his way through, resulting in a shower of wood pieces falling on his as he rolled and did his best to recover.

He looked up from his kneeling position just in time to see Unholy Gem helping Rarity up from a mountain of fabric, both ponies staring at him in terror that some intruder had broken down the down. Seeing Rarity in one piece did wonders for the dragon, though her surprised and slightly terrified look very quickly shifted into one of frustration and disappointment.

"Spike, just what were you thinking battering against that door like that?!" She exclaimed, stepping out from the fabrics and approaching the shrinking dragon. Her tone bit into him in a way he didn't think was possible, and the way she was glaring at him was only serving to destroy how he was hoping things were going to go. "You nearly gave us a heart attack thinking that some brute had broken in and was trying to get to us! Not to mention why you are even here in the first place, when you weren't invited!"

He tried to back away, but her accusing glare kept him rooted to the spot. Things certainly weren't going to go well for him.

* * *

An intense humming filled the happy little bakery as Pinkie went about baking some of the most delicious treats for the surprise party she had planned for Happy Days. That guy was truly something special, and after giving her complete access to this super awesome bakery he had hidden away: there was just no way she could let this opportunity go to waste!

Especially not since he had to go run some errands, and had left her in charge of keeping an eye on the cakes.

Speaking of cakes, she rolled her way across the linoleum and threw herself against the glass oven door: sticking one bright pink eye against it to watch the rising cake. Things were going along just fine, so she didn't need to worry just yet, but oh boy was her stomach really craving some of those delicious goodies they had spent the entire morning preparing. Who would have thought that she would have been able to meet yet another food and party enthusiast? First she thought she was the only pony who knew how to make the best of parties, then she met Cheese Sandwich, and now she found another pony! This was truly turning out to be the best week she'd had in quite a long time.

She hummed and bounced back to the counter, where a baker's dozen cupcakes were cooling and half being already frosted. Well. . . those turned into a dozen as one of the finished ones was instantly slurped up and gobbled down whole: she really did love her treats.

The cupcakes were easy enough to frost, as if she hadn't done that a million times before, if only she knew what it was that Happy had wanted done with the cakes, which were just about ready to be pulled from the oven. She tapped her hoof to her chin, then decided that she might as well make things easier for her: she started to put things away, wondering just what life would be like if she accepted his fun little proposal.

It had its ups and downs: she would finally have her own bakery, complete with a whole lot of supplies, and she wouldn't have to rent a room from the Cakes anymore. But she also wouldn't be able to help Mrs. Cake raise her two adorable little fillies, which was a pretty big downside. And being so far from town meant that she would probably have a more difficult time making preparations for everypony's parties.

But still . . Happy was pretty fun to hang out with, and she knew that having a special somepony might be pretty enjoyable. She could think of a few more benefits of having that hunk of a stallion in her life as well. . . but she knew that this was the kind of thing that she would definitely need to bake a few more cakes over before she could even hope to come up with some kind of decision.


End file.
